


Surrender

by YsaX64



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Master/Servant, Pre-Canon, Trust, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 23:03:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20265961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YsaX64/pseuds/YsaX64
Summary: Trust wasn't something that came cheap.In many ways, that was valid for the vast majority of people, with their masks and personas for every situation.In a world that valued who people thought you were rather than who you was, trust was more valuable than silver and rarer than gold.A long time ago, she had offered her trust to a man whose loyalty she never doubted, but, with something more lingering underneath, Edelgard questions her decision.





	Surrender

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy who is surprised that I ended up like the "sexy but in a rat way" vampiric honorable bad with feelings Hubert?
> 
> No one? Yeah, not even me.
> 
> Either way I'm too weak for Loyal Servant/Good Masters ships so I fell down the edelbert (? I will go with it) hole and now i'm here.
> 
> Anyway this takes place before Byleth's arrival at the monastery btw.

In the past, Edelgard had read that humanity started becoming less like hunters and more like a civilized culture once they started flocking around rivers and large bodies of water. Such places were prosperous and heavily favored the agriculture that was developing at the time.

The Imperial Princess clicked her tongue as she couldn't avoid thinking of how the Church had a similar effect. 

Close to cathedrals and other monasteries, the surrounding villages were always prosperous. In fact, the Church's wealth was rooted so deep into Fódlan that villages and cities flocked around them like birds to seeds.

That fact was particularly evident close of the Garreg Mach Monastery, on that lively village where she and Hubert were lying in wait, walking around in their more casual outfits instead of the uniform they usually preferred.

He was quiet, walking beside her with his hands behind his back. But she knew there was this tension on his neck and shoulders that told her he was much aware of his surroundings. Edelgard blinked slowly, musing to herself.

The two of them had rumors surrounding their closeness, as it was natural when two nobles of opposing gender were too close for the public eye. She did not care though, for this sort of rumor was the exact kind of scandal that would fit like a glove for her intentions. The type that would be the first to be brought up whenever the two of them disappeared from sight.

Under the excuse of buying supplies, it had been easy for the two of them to sneak in said town. And it wasn't hard to hide the fact that they most certainly weren't doing what they were supposed to do, with merchants and their wagons making money, thieves looking for an unsuspecting victim and all the sort of mortal, common things.

But they weren't looking for any of that.

No, they had only one person in mind.

"He is coming," Hubert hushed a whisper, his voice almost imperceptibly within the crowd, "On your right."

Edelgard keeps her head still as she gazed out of the corner of her eyes. 

Risen above the common folk, a paladin stood in his horse, with armor shining as if it had just been polished. The kind of armor that makes great men greater and small men smaller and Edelgard was favoring the latter, as the horse stomped and prodded between the merchants. Blonde, with bright colored eyes, the knight looked like something out of a book -- as if he was made out of paper and ink.

Even though there was no particular rule that prohibited horses in the surroundings of a town like that, there was the common sense of knowing that an animal like that was more trouble than it was worth in a crowd.

"No one is more pompous, more arrogant or more disdainful than a man anxious about their own status," Hubert muttered, his acidic comment enough to draw a laugh out of Edelgard, "Only a buffoon would find it fitting to show off their horse on a crowded place like this."

"There is no mistaking it," Edelgard whispered back, her voice with a tone of humor, "This surely is Count Albergt."

Hubert nodded in his response, keeping his lips curled up in a smirk.

"As sharp as ever, Lady Edelgard," Hubert purred praise, as it was usual of him, "Seems like your guess was precise as ever."

Edelgard shifted her eyes from the Count to Hubert, who was still walking beside her and towards the reckless Count. Such mindless praise that he seemed to favor so much would have been considered the typical behavior of an inexperienced courtier who was clearly trying too hard. In fact, that was how most of the students that shared classes with them viewed Hubert as well, for there weren't many other explanations.

It was most definitely useless, but at least she could hope Hubert found some joy in it. 

Instead, now her eyes got back to the armored Count Albergt, who seemed to be steering away from the crowd. If he had planned to be stealthy, then he was failing miserably. Then again, the spoiled life of an average noble had made them above the fray, separated from the vulgar crowd. 

Perhaps it was that what he was relying on when he wandered away from the town. Her gaze snapped back at Hubert, as she walked faster, the tension shifting to her legs as they followed the rotten noble.

Her loyal aide tipped his head to one side, golden cat-eyes glimmering. Then he hissed, this mix of snake and velvet that only Hubert could achieve, "He is going to the outskirts of town. I suppose his… informant, perhaps, is waiting for him outside."

Edelgard nodded, but her eyes were still focused on the lonely knight in full armor, striding past the common folk. She squinted her eyes, wondering if, among the crowd, there was someone who deserved much more the wealth this man had, but would never achieve their full potential. Simply for not having been born a noble.

She bit her lip, annoyance rising from the pit of her stomach. They were headed to the borders of the town, where city and forest mingled together. The Count seemed to care for none of it, however, moving onwards without hesitation.

Suddenly, he came to a halt. Quite a few steps behind, both Edelgard and Hubert stopped as well, hiding among the lingering passerby.

The paladin looked side to side once more, before diving into the misty forest. Edelgard arched an eyebrow, but Hubert spoke up before she could.

"A man of such  _ stature _ ," he spat out the last word as if the very thought of it made his stomach convulse, "Vanishing among the trees as if he was a stray cat chasing down a mouse."

"Strange indeed," she said, eyes searching for any suspicious activity. When she saw none, Edelgard nodded and the two moved onwards without more words.

Once they caught up to the Count, there was already someone else with him. But not anyone else. No, that most certainly was a pirate. The ones that carried with them the smell of the sea and rotten teeth anywhere they went.

This kind wasn't all that common in Fódlan, Edelgard mused to herself, as she hid among the trees. Hubert was beside her, ready and willing to shoot anyone down if it came to it. But it seemed like it was unnecessary. The Count was just as careless as before.

"So, I believe you want a deal?" The booming voice of the pirate grunted, arching an eyebrow.

"Most certainly," the pomp of the noble marked the sharp contrast between the two. Both could be called equally rotten, but one of them was born a noble.

Edelgard squinted her eyes, the flames of rage burning in her chest. Nevertheless, she stayed quiet, as Hubert put a finger over his lips as if he already knew the temperament of his lady.

"So, what's in it for me?" The pirate questioned, clearly unamused with the Count's antics.

Count Albergt cleared his throat, probably trying to not choke on his own enormous pride as he continued.

"Yes, of course, your reward," he dismounted, picking up a pouch that tingled with the characteristic sound of clicking metal and handing it over.

"You say it, boss," the bandit snatched the pouch out of the Count's hand, which retreated with disgust, "So, all we need to get those boats that will depart tomorrow?"

The Count smiled, a crooked, cocky thing that almost broke the mask of politeness and arrogance that was his face.

"Yes, feel free to do as you wish. I just want them out of my sight."

Edelgard's brow creased. One look at Hubert and he knew. 

He didn't need a second glance before his hands started glowing, the dark magic fluid and slippery in his hands. 

"Greetings, Count Albergt."

With her voice loud and clear, she stepped out of the woods, soon followed by her loyal aide. Taken by surprise, the Count was paralyzed in place, but the same couldn't be said about his pirate friend.

A flick of a finger later and Hubert taught him why dark magic was considered so powerful.

"So, Count Albergt," Edelgard started, as the Count gaped in surprise, "I presume we have much to talk about."

* * *

He was little more than a shadow, a patch of the night scuttling in the dark. 

Hubert resisted the temptation of clicking his tongue, knowing that it would ruin his hiding place.

Still, the irony was too great, as he hid in the thick, white fog. The kind of fog that needed torches and many of them, that meant business and its business just so happened to be making everyone's businesses more difficult.

Of course, he was already prepared. 

The cluster of soldiers and servants going around the paladin, serving their master with haste as the torches tried to scratch the dark of the night. Hubert's eyes turned into slits as he evaluated his options. 

Count Albergt had already evaded his fangs long enough.

Poison had never been his preferred method, but it had the advantage of working even when he was far away from the victim.

And Hubert had other places to be.

* * *

_ "You're the one they speak in whispers," the mocking, grave tone of Mad King Ashnard echoed across the battlefield, "The lion king's shadow. What are you doing so far from your body, shadow? Am I so terrible that your king hides in fear?" _

_ Some of the soldiers who were lucky to witness such a historic moment up close claimed that Giffca's lips dare to curl up in a smile so devoid of humor as of pity. _

_ "Your strength, King of Daein, is not sufficient. That is why I am here. If I fail to stop you today, then your next opponent will be our king. But first, this imposter will measure your fighting prowess." _

_ Mad King Ashnard, perhaps making himself worthy of his title, growled back a response, more ferocity in his eyes than any of the mad, feral laguz that had been warped under his rule. _

_ "What impudence! Are you prepared to become a pile of bones for your king? You’ll make a fine snack!" _

Edelgard closed her book, shifting her legs. It was dark, nightly dark with heavy clouds, the constant tip-tap of the rain outside like a metronome on her ears. In fact, with only the fickle light of the candles to help her reading, the whole library was cast in shadows that flickered and danced around.

After a day of dealing with a certain stray count on the Empire, one that had been bold enough to cause trouble, Edelgard expected sleep to come easy and quick and especially dreamless, like one of those that your body can't help but shutdown.

Of course, to hope for such easy things to come to her was quite futile. After so few hours of restless sleep and way too much time staring at her own ceiling, Edelgard decided she might as well do something useful with her time. And the library so happened to be open at any time.

But it wasn't the shadows or the darkness that drew her attention.

It was who hid in it.

A second passed, as she looked over her shoulder, eyes glaring daggers at the nothing. Her fingers tapped the book's cover, just enough time for Hubert to slither out of the dark. Perhaps knowing that his presence had been detected, he made no effort to quiet his steps. In fact, Edelgard squinted her eyes, leaving the book on the table as she stood up, glaring back to his golden, cat eyes.

"Hubert," her voice hissed, a shrill, tired tone that was almost not her own, "What brings you here? Why were you hiding?"

His mouth twitched into a small smile as his head tilted to the side, the look in his eyes enough to make her even more impatient. Edelgard crossed her arms, observing his state. He was unusually disheveled. At least in a way that could be considered disheveled for Hubert's standards. With his hair wet and slicked back, it gave her a rare sight of both his golden eyes, marked by dark circles. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up. 

"I did not hide from you, Lady Edelgard," he chuckled, his usual frequency that created this unholy mixture of sinister intent and gloating mockery that so many considered unsettling and even threatening. But Edelgard knew better.

She arched an eyebrow as he continued, seemingly unfazed as he straightened his back, running a hand over his clothes as if that would make him look more presentable considering that he was already wet from the rain outside. 

"I surely did not try to conceal my presence once I knew that only the two of us were here," an edge of humor slipped into his voice, "Perhaps you were just too focused on your own book, for I did not try to alarm you."

Edelgard blinked slowly. It was a late night and Hubert would not be wandering the library when it was so close to dawn had he not had his reasons. Well, perhaps it wouldn't be as unusual to find Linhardt close to the Crests sections or Bernadetta finding the library a good enough hideout for her embroidery sessions, but Hubert was not the kind to lose sleep unnecessarily. 

The conclusion was obvious from there, she needn't even ask him.

"Very well, what news do you have for me?"

Hubert's smile widened to a smirk, his eyes gleaming with an unknown flash of emotion for a mere moment before he shifted on his weight, resting his chin on his hand.

"I hoped that the news would only reach your ears in a few days, I admit."

She knew that tone of voice. While the difference might have been imperceptible for anyone else, that was Hubert's manner of avoiding the subject. The slight hesitation on the last words, his tone unbearably even. So terribly monotone that not even Hubert could manage such articulate, mechanic pattern unless he was forcing himself to.

She squinted her eyes, the tiredness seeping her bones of the will to press on the matter. Nevertheless, she had always managed to find in herself the energy to go just a bit further, this relentless desire to move forward -- and to stay awake. 

"Don't change the subject, Hubert," She didn't mean to sound as threatening as she did, but Hubert remained unwavering, hands behind his back, flaring up the flames in heart to continue, "You are hiding something."

It was hardly a question, more like an accusation than anything else.

Still, Hubert took it gracefully, as glacial, venomous eyes stared back at her.

"Indeed I am, Lady Edelgard, but some things are better off remaining unknown to you."

It was a whisper, but a whisper of defiance, one that anyone else, be it from the Empire, Kingdom or Alliance, even from beyond Fódlan, would have not escaped unscathed. 

But he was Hubert von Vestra. Her most loyal ally, her dearest friend and, ultimately, the shadow that followed on her steps. 

Edelgard's skin tingled, as the candlelight casting shadows over his unwavering stance. Straight posture and half-lidded eyes, he stood there, letting his phrase loom over for a moment before continuing.

"You do not need to care about it," his voice softened, as he hesitated and his words, normally so fluid and poetic, stalled on his tongue, "The ambition that you need to fulfill will demand much of you."

A particularly long wait between his words made clear his hesitation, but as soon as Edelgard breathed in to question, Hubert continued, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Meanwhile, my duty is to guarantee that the path laid before you have no obstacles, no unneeded stains."

He blinked slowly, resting his chin on his hand in his usual manner.

"You shouldn't care about such trivialities," he said, continuing on his line of thought, as he circled around her.

If that was an attempt to be soothing, then it had been as effective as the one time in the prior year Caspar mockingly put Hubert's name in the White Heron Cup. 

"We both know that my ambition comes first and foremost in my mind, Hubert," she whispered back, acknowledging the fact that they were in a library despite having no one else around.

He nodded in response, seemingly pleased.

"However," she continued, as her voice took a stern tone, "that doesn't mean that you have to carry your duty in the same way."

"I do this by choice, Lady Edelgard."

The quick response masked a hint of pain in his voice, one that even his golden, cat eyes couldn't hide.

"I know this very well, but I know that the stains of blood cannot be washed away, no matter how much rain."

It was all but a bait. She couldn't be certain that was the judgment he had carried that day. However, Hubert's reaction, the slight twitch of an eyebrow and the tension on his shoulders, was enough for her. She blinked slowly, turning her head back to the now-abandoned book.

_ Tales of Radiance: Recollections of the Radiant Hero Ike and the History of Tellius.  _

_ Volume 12: The Warriors of Gallia. _

She had always found some delight in the stories of old, whether they were true or not. 

A shame she was fairly sure no book which had their hero snatch majestic maidens from the dark, evil bishops would ever be written in her name.

"As much as you like to talk about how your path is beside mine, how you will paint it red if needed," she muttered, refusing to look back at him, "I cannot allow you to drown in the blood of your sins, Hubert."

When she turns back to him, he is as inscrutable as a cat, back straightened like a lance. Edelgard allowed the weight of her sentence to take effect and the air around them seemed heavier. Then, and only then, she continued.

"No matter how you see it, right now I have no power," she glared back at him, just quick enough to stop any praise that would inevitably come out of his mouth. "You cannot deny this truth, Hubert. Right now, I might be the Imperial princess, but my uncle still rules. My title has no power when it comes to my will against his, much less if we take his  _ minions  _ into account. And I'm still weak. Too weak to rally an army of my own, too weak to lead."

Hubert seemed almost hurt by her statement, a rare sight accompanied by the downward curl of his lips. But Edelgard knew she spoke nothing but the truth, even when he tried to reply.

"Do not put yourself in such low esteem, Lady..."

Before he could finish his line of thought, Edelgard cut him off, as cold as the unyielding rain outside.

"But, Hubert, I have one and only one asset that wasn't given to me by birth or that didn't come to the cost of what was left of my dignity," she spat out bitterly and Hubert knew exactly what was the "dignity" she spoke of. Edelgard didn't need to say more than that to know how his blood ran cold whenever the subject was brought up.

"This asset, no, this  _ ally  _ is you, Hubert. You once served me as a consequence of your status as the sole heir of House Vestra, but now we both know better. What was once a formal duty became unyielding loyalty." Her voice softened. "I don't want you to change your fealty and yet keep going down the same road."

Perhaps it was the night, maybe it was the rain outside or even the smell of candles and books that reigned in the library. But, at that point, Edelgard was simply too tired. She took a seat once more, her hand resting on the forgotten book of the tales of Tellius.

Hubert said nothing. The pair allowed the silence to drag on, without a word spoken. In a way, Edelgard knew there was no need for words anymore. Once someone becomes a companion so firmly rooted in trust like Hubert had become to her, words can only do so much. But, of course, it was clear that Hubert did not feel the same.

"My apologies." Hubert bent into a bow not as deep as his usual, his disheveled appearance evidencing his tiredness, "I will take my leave now, if you have no more orders."

She waved him a dismissal, as he disappeared into the dark library as wordlessly as he'd entered.

The question that lingered, however, was if Hubert put the same trust in her. With her brows furrowed, she started tracing the cover of the abandoned book. 

The fearsome man and beast hybrids that inhabited Tellius, at least according to the legends, were indomitable warriors, but more than that, they had a wise, benevolent lion king who ruled during the time that Ike, the Radiant Hero, walked their lands. In the cover, Caineghis appeared on the center and, even if other Gallian kings and warriors composed the piece as well, it was clear that the most esteem was given to the wise lion.

But, Edelgard couldn't help but notice the artist's detail. Kneeling beside the king, there was Giffca, the black lion that was named "the Lion King's shadow". Fittingly, the black of his fur and clothes almost melted with the actual shadow of the king. 

"As if the two of them were only one," she muttered to herself, an edge of bitterness in her voice.

On most days, she found this king of old to be an inspiration. A lion who resisted against the race differences that plagued the history of beorc and laguz. And yet, in the middle of the night, she found herself envious of this fairytale king. 

For he had a true shadow, a companionship with mutual trust and faith in each other. One that she sorely lacked.

She bit her bottom lip, suddenly feeling rather clumsy.

While it was true that Hubert claimed to be devoted to the core and she had no doubt that he would march towards his worst nightmares if she but gave the order, Edelgard knew that he didn't trust her with many other things. Like feelings, perhaps. 

And the very acknowledgment of that barrier between them wounded her. A barrier that by no means was she who built and maintained. She could see in his eyes as he dismissed any thought about his childhood. When he spoke little of the orders he carried for her. 

If it was truly lack of trust, she couldn't tell.

Edelgard let her chin rest on her hands, tapping with a finger. Her mood for the history of Tellius soured, even the great battle between Giffca, the lion king's shadow, and Mad King Ashnard seemed as thrilling as the last time she misplaced her favorite axe.

Staring vaguely at the outside, with the rain pattering rhythmically on the outside, she seemed almost like a child again, worried about having broken her younger brother's toy. The thought of her siblings left her with the sting lingered in her soul.

That much was enough to harden her heart. 

Edelgard had a path she had to walk, one that she would happily walk alone if she needed to. A path that would lead to the freedom of all, commoners and nobles, which would reconcile the very conflicting interests of equality and liberty. She didn't need anyone that couldn't offer her anything less than the utmost faith in her plans. If Hubert truly didn't trust her as much as she once thought he did, then she would need to dispose of him, sooner or later. 

Well, at least that was what she was supposed to think.

Even Hubert would agree with this lingering thought in her mind. I solemnly lay down my life if that is what you need of me, Lady Edelgard. Or something equally grandiose and even worse, just as true. She pressed her lips together in thought, her mind stalling as tiredness caught up to her.

Objectively speaking, even if Hubert didn't fully trust her, he was still loyal to a fault, enough so that ideas of disposing of him weren't truly a possibility. But her mind couldn't help but think about "what if"'s and "what about"'s. That day? Yes, she could say, for sure, that Hubert had no intentions of being dishonest with her, not truly.

But she couldn't speak for the future.

While such thoughts would be usually dismissed as pointless, in the dark of the night, a time for lost souls, they seemed surprisingly reasonable.

"I suppose you still can't sleep."

She was shaken out of her thoughts, her eyes widening as a flourished cup of greenish liquid appeared before her. Her eyes darted back, finding Hubert himself, now more composed like his usual self.

"Tea?" She asked, mouth ajar and gaze unfocused. 

He nodded, bowing down slightly. Before she could ask, he spoke up, a slight, barely perceptible, smirk on his lips.

"I could sneak on kitchens like that when I was but a boy." His tone remained even as he continued, despite the glint of an unknown emotion flickering in his gaze, "I rightfully assumed that you wouldn't be able to sleep regardless, so I brought it in case it would be of any help."

Part of her wanted to snap at him for ignoring the last twenty minutes or so.

But another, much more reasonable part of her knew it was pointless. Pointless to both of them, because right there, as he stared back at her in his uniform, now perfectly aligned, and with his hair in his usual fashion that she couldn't fathom why he preferred, Edelgard knew that she couldn't convince herself to walk this path without him.

She gestured with a hand for him to sit down and so he did, taking a sip of his own cup of tea. Edelgard let out a laugh, so quiet that it was almost imperceptible.

"You, Hubert von Vestra, sipping tea?"

He arched a brow in surprise for a moment, but soon he followed along, polite and even as always.

"A rare occasion, I suppose," he shrugged, "There are times that even I know it would be imprudent to drink coffee."

Her shoulders relaxed as he played along with her tease. 

"That didn't stop you from gulping down almost a liter of coffee that one time we had to sneak out of Enbarr."

His eyes widened for a bit, just a fraction of a second, but also just enough for Edelgard to remember the past moments.

And also quick enough for her to accept it. At least for that moment. Hubert had his secrets. She had hers. And she would allow him to keep his, even if part of her felt wounded by the dichotomy that he presented. 

As if to take her out of her thoughts, Hubert cleared his throat, averting his gaze.

"That was," a slight hitch tainted his even voice, "a special occasion."

She nodded, letting the stillness of the moment flow through her like warm water. Right there, it was enough.

* * *

"Have you heard?" 

The rumors were a usual thing in Garreg Mach.

"About Count Albergt?"

Everyone seemed to talk so loud that even a passerby would catch a hint of gossip.

"Yes, they say he was found dead that in his way back from Garreg Mach."

Edelgard merely blinked slowly, without turning or saying a word. No word came from behind her, either.

"My, my, they say it was some sort of sudden illness!"

It was hardly the time to get distracted with chitchat.

"Illness? I mean, there were a bunch of rumors that said he was just as good as new a few days ago."

Not like it mattered. They would reach the class soon enough and the death of such minor noble is barely topic for one day of gossip in the monastery.

"Hm, that's quite suspect, in my opinion."

Caspar and Linhardt were standing, talking around the dorms. Well, if one considered Linhardt's bored stare a response, it could be considered a conversation.

"Oh man, did you hear the rumors," Caspar spoke and Edelgard doesn't quite know why she somehow expected that he wouldn't be loud enough to let everyone else in Garreg Mach hear as well.

Well, excluding Linhardt, who seemed content in almost sleeping while standing up.

Instead, someone else answered, walking up to Caspar with an unhurried step.

"Count Albergt?" Hubert's even tone slithered away from behind her, approaching Caspar as the boy gaped vaguely at the nothing. "Wasn't he close by less than a week ago?"

Edelgard followed along, warily speaking up. Caspar, seemingly still shell-shocked by Hubert engaging in a conversation, nodded, scratching the back of his head as he voiced his confusion in a more productive way.

"Yeah, I've heard that as well. The dude made quite the mess from what people are talking."

Edelgard nodded in response, taking the opportunity to speak up.

"Truly, I do remember him being close by just a few days ago. If I'm not mistaken, he was talking to some… friends of his."

If Caspar noticed the slight hesitation, he didn't let it show.

"I imagine. It's strange, like, thinking about how this person you just talked to is… you know." He finished rather lamely, but Edelgard knew what he meant.

"I understand your perspective, Caspar." Her eyes averted back to Hubert, who had been eerily quiet even for his standards. "Just thinking that I had wished for a good trip back to him that very day. About how the two of us danced around topics regarding nobles hiring mercenaries to wound rivals and the current status of the nobility within the Adestrian Empire."

Caspar's gaze turned pensive, the light from his optimistic heart shining through. Which might have been a touching sight had Linhardt not stirred in his sleep, opening a single eye lazily.

"It was rather strange, not that he was of any importance within the Empire, but I've heard he was plotting some pretty nasty things."

Hubert's sharp gaze snapped back to Linhardt, unwavering as he asked.

"What sort of things?"

Linhardt, as one would be expected, stretched out his limbs, drawing out the answer with a half-shrug.

"I don't," he yawned, almost if sleep was a permanent state for him, "I don't know. I've only heard so much."

Hubert's eyes were drawn back to Edelgard, glimmering like gold in the light of day. Any lingering suspicion that she felt solidified into a deep certainty, brewed from the depths of their bond and how much she knew him. 

In this fraction of a second, she, with no regrets, chose to turn a blind eye.

Even so, she answered him back.

"Yes, Hubert, how strange."

And neither of them said no more about the subject.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Although I'm very weak for this type of relationship, I'm amazed at how Hubert and Edelgard are not meant for each other. Hubert is the one who puts up barriers between them, idolatring Edelgard to unhealthy levels and going behind her back to carry what he thinks it's the right way. But like Ferdinand says in their supports, Hubert fails to actually make Edelgard improve as a person and does not confront her about her personal flaws. Put that with Edelgard not confronting Hubert about his hopeless devotion and you get their bittersweet paired ending.
> 
> ...
> 
> And I love it. I love the ambiguity, I love that they are not perfect for one another and that even their paired endings acknowledges that they won't be that great for each other.
> 
> And that's what fanfic is for folks.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading/leaving kudos/comments, it's always appreciated!!!


End file.
